Syllabus

Psychology 412  Social and Personality Development CRN 80536

Fall, 2012 - Dr. Karen Hartlep

1:00 – 2:23 PM, MWF,   DDH/103E

http://www.csub.edu/~khartlep

 

 

Office: DDH/D115                                                        Office Hours: 10:00 –11:30 AM,  MWF

Phone:  654-2371                                                        e-mail:  khartlep@csub.edu

 

 

Texts:

 

      Shaffer, D. (2009).  Social and Personality Development. (6^th edition).  Belmont, CA.; Wadsworth.  (ISBN 13: 9780495600381)

      Del Campo, D., Del Campo, R., and Vaillancourt, K. (2012).  Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Childhood and Society (9th ed.). New York, NY.; McGraw-Hill/Dushkin. 

 

Goals of the Course:

The course examines the developing person as an individual, tracing changes from birth through adolescence in what we call his "personality".  It also focuses on the developing person's interactions with groups and institutions of society.  From the course the student should gain:

 

      1.   An awareness of the methods used in studying children.

      2.   A survey of the findings within the topic areas of social and personality development, including mother-infant attachment, child-rearing practices, peer influences, moral development, sex role learning, etc.

      3.   Four major theoretical approaches will be covered; the Psychoanalytic, the Social Learning, the Cognitive Developmental, and the Ethological.  These theories will be compared and contrasted and should help the student to organize and understand the various topics of information and research.

      4.   Some awareness of why the study of social and personality development is important, of what is to be gained by it, and where the "growth areas" are in the field.

      5.   Finally, information gained in this course should provide the student with some practical guides to working with and understanding children.

 

 

Schedule of Events:

 

Part I.  Methods, Theories,  Emotional Development, and Attachment.

             A.  Reading Assignments:  In Shaffer, read Chapters 1-5.

                                        In Del Campo et. al., read Issues 1-6.

 

              B.  Last day to withdraw from classes without a "W" being recorded on official transcripts is September 28, 2012.

 

              C.  Exam over Part I will cover the Shaffer and Del Campo reading assignments and any additional materials presented in class and will be on October 1, 2012.

 

 

Part II.  Development of the Self Concept, Social Cognition, Achievement, Sex-Role Development, and Aggression.

             A.  Reading Assignments:  In Shaffer, read Chapters 6-10. 

                                        In Del Campo et. al., read Issues 7-12.

 

             B.  Exam over Part II will cover the Shaffer and Del Campo reading assignments and any additional materials presented in class and will be on October 24, 2012.

 

Part III.  Moral Development, the Family, TV, Computers, and School, and Peers.

 

             A.  Reading Assignments:  In Shaffer, read Chapters 11-14.

                                        In Del Campo et. al., read Issues 13-17.

 

             B.  Last day to withdraw from classes for a "serious and compelling reason", is  October 26, 2012.  Please check the CSUB Catalog for the definition of "serious and compelling".  Poor grades in a course are specifically excluded.

 

              C.  Veteran's Day Holiday, November 12, 2012.  No Class.

 

               D.  November 14, 2012,  Projects are Due.

 

               E.  Exam over Part III will cover the Shaffer and Del Campo reading assignments and any additional materials presented in class and will be on November 19, 2012.

 

 

    The Final Exam for this course will be cumulative.  It is scheduled for Monday, November 26, 2012, from 2:00 - 4:30 PM.

 

 

Grading:

 

            1.  Four exams are scheduled, including three mid-terms and a final.  I will count the best three of these and drop the lowest score. Each of the exams I count will be worth 25% of your course grade, for a total of 75%.  There will be No Make-up Exams.  If you miss an exam, for any reason, that will be the score I drop.

 

             2.  The Research Project:  You are to use in class hand-outs and library sources to provide a literature review for a piece of research on children's T.V.  In class we will form groups of 3-4 students interested in doing the same project.  You will divide the labor of data collection and the responsibilities for a type-written summary of the findings.  As this is a group project you will be graded as a group.  A videotape and further instructions will be provided in class.  This project will be worth 25% of your grade.

 

            3.  Attendance.  In class you will be asked to respond in writing to thought questions, apply a concept, provide an example, or participate in other written activities.  These will be collected in class as evidence that you were there.  If you miss more than three classes, a percentage point will be taken off your final grade in the course for each additional class that is missed.

 

 

In Summary, the Final Grade will be weighted as follows:

 

               3 Exams                                          75%

              Group Project                                   25%

                                                                      100%   minus missed attendance days over 3

 

 

Grades are given on a percentage basis using the following scale:

 

             A   = 93-100%                                  C   = 73-77%

             A- = 90-92%                                     C- = 70-72%

             B+ = 88-89%                                    D+ = 68-69%

             B   = 83-87%                                    D  = 63-67%

             B- = 80-82%                                     D- = 60-62%

             C+ = 78-79%                                    F   = 59% and below

 

Policy on Incompletes:  I will not give incompletes in this course.  If you miss an exam, that will be the score I drop.  If you miss two exams you will be missing 50% of the course and you must drop.  Since the project is a group effort, you must contribute to get credit.

 

Policy on Academic Dishonesty:  Any student caught in an act of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, will receive an "F" for the course, and their action will be reported in a letter to the Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences.  Please refer to the CSUB Catalog for the full details and definitions of what actions qualify under this policy.